Neestrup all praise for Lions players

F.C. Copenhagen head coach Jacob Neestrup says his players deserve credit for going toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich despite the 2-1 defeat on Tuesday night.

FCK led through Lukas Lerager but goals from Jamal Musiala and Mathys Tel reversed the tie in the favour of the German champions.

Only a wonder save from Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich prevented FCK from taking what would have been a well-earned point in the final minute of the game in Parken.

And Neestrup believes the clash could have gone either way.

"The result is not great but it was really the performance (that shone) tonight," says Neestrup.

"I'm standing here with mixed feelings right now. I think that the result is an even bigger disappointment than when we only got a draw in Istanbul. It is the second game in a row that we were close to being able to win a Champions League game, but we only have one point from those two games.

"We did everything we could today against one of the world's strongest teams, and we did it in a way where we stuck to our identity and made more progress than in the games last year.

"We played a very good game defensively and we created the chances you can expect against a team like Bayern. These were chances to both win the game and at least get a draw in the end, but their goalkeeper pulled out a wild save on Jordan's header in the very last minute.

"Our first half was good, but our second half was even better and it's great that we managed to come back after both of their goals and put the pressure on them at the end. That gave us the chance to equalise. It was a really great collective effort by the whole team."

Next up for FCK is a trip to AGF on Sunday, before the two-week international break. After that it's a home clash with Vejle in Parken, and then the Lions' next Champions League Group A clash at Manchester United on 24 October.

"Now we just have to do everything we can in the next game in Manchester to get a result," says Neestrup.

"Otherwise it is primarily here in Parken that we have to pick up our points. But if Galatasaray can win at Old Trafford, then we can also test them."